History of Ideas by Chloe Ray

Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization

8000 BCE

First signs of a written language.

Ancient Egyptian Civilization

3100 BCE

Traditional civilization around the Nile river.

Ancient Indian Civilization

2500 BCE

The largest civilization of all time. Held to the social caste system.

Ancient Chinese Civilization

1750 BCE

China's first known dynasty: Shang dynasty.

Thales

625 BCE

First known philosopher and scientist.

Pythagoras

580 BCE

First known mathematician. Discovered the Pythagorean theory.

Aeschylus

525 BCE

Believed to be the inventor of drama.

Roman Republic

509 BCE

The result of the Roman Kingdom's overthrow.

Sophocles

496 BCE

Tragic playwright commonly addressed with a connection to Aeschylus and Euripides.

Pericles

495 BCE

Influential Athenian general.

Euripedes

484 BCE

Tragic playwright who has many works that have survived.

Herodotus

484 BCE

Greek historian born in the Persian Empire.

Socrates

470 BCE

Infantryman and one of Western Philosophy's founders.

Democritus

460 BCE

Founded atomic theory, and believed in a materialistic soul.

Thucydides

460 BCE

General and historian from Athens.

Plato

427 BCE

Socrates' successor, who believed in a metaphysical world.

Aristotle

384 BCE

Plato's successor, who tutored Alexander the Great.

Epicurus

341 BCE

Greek philosopher whose writings, only a few survive. He is the founder of the school of philosophy, Epicureanism.

Alexander the Great Begin Rule over Macedonia

336 BCE

Aristotle's successor, who ruled over Macedonia, beginning in 336 BCE.

Cato the Censor

234 BCE

Conservative Roman historian and senator.

Cicero

106 BCE

Roman author and lawyer who believed in living virtuously.

Julius Caesar

100 BCE

Great influence in the fall of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire. He was a politician and general in Rome.

Lucretius

95 BCE

Roman student of Democritus, who followed the ideals of Greek philosopher, Epicurus.

Mark Antony

83 BCE

A Roman politician and general who was very influential in the transformation from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

Augustus

63 BCE

The first Roman Emperor, but tried to restore the Republic.

Tiberius

42 BCE

A gloomy Roman emperor.

Roman Empire

27 BCE

The government ruled by emperors, following the fall of the Roman Republic.

Jesus Christ

4 BCE

Lord and Savior, Son of God. Came into this world to free all who believe in him.

Gaius Caesar (Caligula)

12

An Emperor, and great uncle to the last Roman Emperor, Nero.

Nero

37

A Roman Emperor, known for his association with corruption and violence.

Tacitus

56

Historian and senator during the Roman Empire.

Constantine the Great

280

Emperor who established Christianity as the official Roman religion.

Aurelius Augustinus (Augustine)

354

Influential theologian and philosopher.

Middle Ages

476

A result of the fall of the Roman Empire, lasting between the 5th and 15th centuries.

Boethius

480

Roman senator and philosopher.

Avicenna

980

Persian physician and astronomer. He is a major influence in early modern medicine.

Peter Abelard

1079

French philosopher, popularly known because of his affair with Héloïse d'Argenteuil.

Bernard of Clairvaux

1090

Crusades

1095

Series of expeditions and wars in the name of Christianity.

Averroёs

1126

Andalusian mathematician with with writings on logic.

Thomas Aquinas

1224

An influential Italian priest, philosopher, and theologian.

Marco Polo

Sep 15, 1254

A great explorer and traveler who experienced much of Asia.

Renaissance

1300

A time period between the Middle Ages and modern history, considered as an art movement.

Boccaccio

1313

Italian writer and poet who greatly influenced the Rennaissance movement.

Bubonic Plague

1347

A severe pandemic resulting in a death toll of between 75-200 million. The bubonic plague was transmitted by fleas.

Johann Gutenberg

1400

Introduced the printing press to Europe around 1440.

Christopher Columbus

1451

The European explorer who accidentally discovered the New World.

Leonardo da Vinci

1452

This Renaissance man is most well known for his masterpiece: Mona Lisa.

Pico della Mirandola

1463

The philosopher and Renaissance man, most well known for his work, "Oration on the Dignity of Man."

Copernicus

Feb 19, 1473

Astronomer and mathematician who presented the fact that the Sun, and not Earth, is placed at the center of the universe.

Martin Luther

1483

The German professor who greatly influenced the Protestant Reformation, and is the author of the 95 theses.

Henry VIII

1491

King of England, most well known for his numerous marriages.

Miguel de Cervantes

Sep 29, 1547

The Spanish writer is most well known for his piece, Don Quixote.

Francis Bacon

1561

Considered a Renaissance man. Mainly knowledgeable in the fields of philosophy, science, and literature.

Galileo Galilei

Feb 15, 1564

A major influence in the scientific revolution, which brought about the work of modern sciences.

John Locke

1632

Influential philosopher and physician during the Enlightenment period.

Industrial Revolution

1760

A time period when manufacturing industries boomed and preference of machine development rose rapidly.

Charles Darwin

Feb 12, 1809

Developed the theory of natural selection and added to the theory of evolution.

Karl Marx

May 5, 1818

German with phenomenal facial hair. Also a historian, philosopher, and sociologist.

Sigmund Freud

May 6, 1856

The Austrian neurologist who developed psychoanalysis.

Albert Einstein

Mar 14, 1879

A theoretical physicist who founded the Theory of Relativity. He is also well known for his influence in the formation of the atomic theory.

Werner Heisenberg

Dec 5, 1901

Founder of the Uncertainty Principle.

Apollo 11

Jul 20, 1969

Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin land on the moon!